WASHINGTON — Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., on Sunday endorsed the re-election campaign of his Republican colleague Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who faces a tough challenger this year supported by former President Donald Trump.
"I'm endorsing my dear friend Lisa Murkowski," Manchin said on CNN's "State of the Union." "Alaska could only be so lucky to have her continue to serve them."
Murkowski returned the favor, saying she will endorse Manchin, who is up for re-election in 2024, if he decides to run.
The two moderate senators appeared on the show in a joint interview to promote bipartisanship after the passage of President Joe Biden's infrastructure deal and amid early talks to change the Electoral Count Act.
"It’s hypocritical to basically work with a person day in and day out and then, when they’re in cycle, you’re supposed to be against them because they have an R or D by their name,” Manchin said.
In June, Trump endorsed Kelly Tshibaka in her campaign to unseat Murkowski, giving his backing to an outsider candidate who has echoed his false claims of election fraud. His endorsement came a few months after Murkowski voted to convict him at his impeachment trial for allegedly inciting the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Both Murkowski and Manchin have crossed party lines on a host of legislative issues, drawing ire from members of their own caucuses. Murkowski opposed an effort by Republicans to repeal Obamacare in 2019, while Manchin said last month that he would not support Biden's signature Build Back Better Act.
With Trump endorsing her challenger, Murkowski, who announced her re-election campaign in November, could face a competitive race. Trump won Alaska by 10 percentage points in the 2020 presidential election.
